


Give It A Shot

by spotlessmind



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-06-08 13:19:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6856510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spotlessmind/pseuds/spotlessmind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christen decides to give soccer a second chance and finds herself in a new adventure she never in a million years would've dreamt of.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where Have You Been Hiding (intro)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work so I'm not sure what i'm getting myself into lol If I continue this, expect longer chapters this was just an into.

Her heart is beating out of her chest. At least that’s what it feels like to her. She had been preparing for these two weeks of tryouts but wasn’t expecting to do this much work. Her nerves aren’t helping her case either. When she saw the announcement on twitter that the LA national women’s league team was holding open tryouts for the first time in 3 years she jumped at the opportunity. After taking a few years off from playing soccer because of unexpected circumstances, she felt like this was the sign she had been looking for to come back to the sport she loved so here she was on the last day of the open try outs trying to prove why she should get a spot on the team, preferably the spot that has recently opened up because the team’s star forward, Alex Morgan, was traded to Orlando about two months ago.

She runs up for the final cross of the day, controls it, sets herself up to get a nice left shot and fires it past the keeper. She lets out a breath she had no idea she was holding in and interlocks her fingers on top of her head walking towards the bench while occasionally high fiving a few of the girls trying out as well.

“Thank you all for coming, I saw a few things I liked out of this group. I will give the ones I chose a call and the rest of you will get emails. Best of luck.” Christen nods her head towards the coach and watches as he walks towards the tunnel. She focuses on taking her cleats off and putting her sneakers on when she fells one of the girls grab her arm.

“Holy shit is that Heath?” Christen turns to look at the girl, her expression surprised, and looks over to where her eyes are gazing. To Christen’s own surprise, it is in fact Heath. She has her back to them talking to the coach right by the tunnel.

Tobin had quickly become the teams star over the past two years. It only took her one season to win the fans over and by the end of her second season with the team, Heath jerseys started to become more visible throughout the stub hub center at every game. Christen can only imagine how much more attention she was going to get now that Morgan left.

_What was Tobin Heath doing here?_ Christen suddenly felt a bit uneasy. She has seen her in person before when she attends the games but never like this. In an empty stadium with only about 20 people and both of them down on the field. She doesn’t want to think much of it though because she’s nervous enough as it is, so she just shrugs her shoulders and looks back down at her shoes.

“I wonder why she’s here.” Christen says trying not to sound too enthusiastic about the situation.

“I don’t know but I’m going to introduce myself” the girl says grabbing her bag and heading straight to the midfielder who is already surrounded by a few of the other girls. Christen watches and chuckles to herself at Heath who seems uncomfortable with the entire situation. Just as she’s about to start making her way to the tunnel and out to her car she remembers about her headband she threw on the other side of the field when she they played a little scrimmage and it kept sliding down to her face.

“Dammit” She makes her way down to field and by the time she walks back she notices she’s the last of the girls to to leave which makes her nerves come back as she notices that the coach and the midfielder still haven’t moved from their spot. She tries her best to walk by them without being noticed but it doesn’t work.

“you did good kid” Christen turns her head to find the coach and the midfielder looking straight at her. “I don’t think I’ve seen anyone impress me in an open tryout as much as you did. Where have you been hiding?” Coach laughs and she walks up to them both a little hesitant. Mostly because she feels a little intimidated with the bronzed midfielder just standing there. Her hair is in a sloppy bun while wearing a black loose tank top with some blue ripped tight jeans rolled up a bit to compliment her sandals. It looks good on her but different than what Christen is use to seeing her in which makes her feel even more uneasy as she walks up to them avoiding eye contact with her.

“Thank you! and I haven’t been hiding I just had to stop playing after my sophomore year in college because of-” She turns to Tobin and back to the coach thinking about how she doesn’t know them well enough for them to know so much about her life “-personal reasons.” She noticed both of them shoot each other a look expecting to hear more but she ignored it and moved on. “and I moved back here with my family and finished my degree. When I heard about these tryouts I thought why not give it another shot. I miss playing.”

“Well I’m glad came out.” Coach says as Christen tries her best to not act too awkward while standing next to pretty much the star of the team. She finally decided to introduce herself hoping to make the situation less intimidating, for her at least.

“Hi, nice to meet you I’m Christen.” She stretches her arm out and the midfielder connects her hand with hers. Christen is a bit shocked at how firm the girls grip is but she should have figured considering how toned her arms are.

“Hey I’m Tobin.” They exchange smiles and Christen basically blurts out her next words.

“I know” She says, and immediately regrets it not wanting to sound like one of those fan girls she had to deal with earlier. “I mean- I’ve seen you on the billboards around town.” She lets go of the grip and pulls a strand of her hair behind her ear hoping the girl doesn’t notice her red cheeks”

“Oh man those things are embarrassing.” Tobin says cringing her face and looking down a bit “I tried to tell them to take my picture down but no one listens.” This makes all three of them laugh and it eases the mood for Christen.

“The sooner you realize you are the star of this team the sooner you will get use to it” coach says which makes Tobin shake her head.

“Coach, if I was the star of the team, people would listen to my demands” She says, causing coach to pat her on the shoulder and lean his head a little closer to hers.

“Tobs, get over it. They’re not coming down” He says it before leaning back laughing. Christen watches as Tobin continues to complain. She liked the fact that the coach had a good relationship with his players and also couldn’t help but notice Tobin’s huge smile as she laughed along with him. She had seen it before on TV but it was different in person. More welcoming and radiant, Christen would say. It was nice.

“I gotta go discuss tryouts with the staff I’ll see you at practice” Coach tells Tobin and she nods in return. He turns to christen and points at her before walking away. “Best of luck, and keep your phone on you. I have a feeling you’ll be getting an important call very soon” He tells her which makes her stomach feel butterflies. She can’t help but form a smile and forget for a moment who she’s with as she processes what the coach just told her.

“Well I guess I’ll be seeing you very soon then” Tobin says breaking Christen’s thoughts. Christen refocuses her attention to the girl, trying her best to look and sound calm even though she feels like she’s about to explode with excitement.

“I hope so”

“Come on, I was watching you out here, he’d be crazy not to call you.” Christen’s face goes from excitement to a little confused.

“You were watching us the whole time?” She furrows her eyebrows

“Yea up there” Christen follows Tobin’s finger as she points to a section of seats in the stadium too far up to even pin point out if it wasn’t for two other girls sitting there. “I was with Kelley and JJ- I mean, Julie”

“Wow if I would’ve known you three were watching I probably would’ve choked.” Christen says admittedly.

“Well then I’m glad you didn’t know because we would’ve missed out on you” Tobin says reassuring Christen of her talent. She starts to walk forward into the tunnel motioning Christen to follow. She complies and soon enough they’re walking shoulder to shoulder. “We need a consistent forward now that Alex left and by the looks of it, you might be what we’ve been looking for.” Christen looks down unsure how to take the comment.

“Wow, I don’t know if I can reach Morgan’s standards, she is.. something else.” She laughs to herself.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Tobin nudges Christen which makes her blush a bit. She can’t believe how comfortable Tobin is being with her but she’s not complaining. “You seem to be good enough from what I’ve seen” Christen laughs off the compliment which makes Tobin continue. “Fine. I guess you don’t the position huh? I’ll be sure to let coach know” Tobin says as serious as she can be which makes Christen’s head shoot up towards the midfielder.

“wait I never said that, I just never thought I’d even get this opportunity and-“

“I’m kidding” Tobin says turning her face towards Christen with a huge smile forming on her face. “I would never” Now it’s Christen’s turn to nudge Tobin and it seems like they’ve been friends for ages.

“Not cool” Christen says as they reach the end of the tunnel which has two different directions to turn.

“Listen, I’ve got to go but it was nice meeting you Christen. I’ll be seeing you soon” Tobin says indubitably and it takes Christen’s thoughts back to what the coach said about her basically making the team.

“Yea- yea I guess so” Tobin smiles and turns around heading toward the stadium seats. Christen watches her leave completely shocked at what just happened in the last fifteen minutes. She turns around to head towards the parking lot and occasionally bites her lip while smiling at the thought of her family’s reactions when she tells them her life is about to change forever.


	2. Surprise!

It was Monday morning when Christen got the much anticipated call. She was in the middle of wiping down a table at the local coffee shop she has been working at since she moved back to LA. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she jumped before answering. The coffee shop owner, Lauren, almost jumped over the counter to congratulate Christen and give her a tight squeeze. They've become close friends in the four years they've been working together. Lauren was even over at Christen's house last thanksgiving when she couldn't get a flight out to where her family lives. It was nice to have someone outside of Christen's siblings to get to vent to about her life and problems. It was also nice to have a manager that understood the situation she was in. 

After Christen's shift ended she had a talk with Lauren about leaving the shop. It's a bittersweet feeling for Christen but if she's being honest, it's more sweet than bitter. Lauren offered her the job back whenever she wanted and although she said it in a joking matter Christen assured her that she might want to take some shifts in when the team has it's off season.

"We'll see if you actually want to come back" Lauren teased her and they just laughed and joked until Christen looked at her watch and realized it was time to get home.

 ~~~

The first team meeting is just three days after the phone call. Christen is a little surprised at how late in the day it is scheduled but gets excited for it anyway. She pulls up to the stub hub stadium and roams around the parking lot trying to find out where the conference rooms are. She notices a few cars parked around back and recognizes some of the girls getting off and walking into the place. She parks her car a few spaces behind them and just sits there for a minute trying to calm her nerves. It feels like the first day of college all over again, going into a completely new adventure where she doesn't know anyone. Just as she's about to turn her car off and open the door, she jumps up at the sound of a knock on her window and turns around to meet whoever it was.

"Hey my bad." Tobin says just loud enough for her to hear though the glass. Christen lets out a breath and smiles relieved it's at least a somewhat familiar face. She turns the car off and grabs her bag before opening the door.

"It's ok, you just scared the life out of me for a second." Christen says sarcastically.

"I didn't mean to. Honestly. I wish I would've recorded it though." Tobin teases her. "The face you made was priceless." Christen just laughs along with her.

"I'm sure it was." She says.

"Anyway, you are officially in the LAFC family! How exciting." Tobin nudges Christen.

"I am! I still can't believe it, I'm nervous but i'm excited." She replies with an enthusiastic smile. Tobin reaches her arm around Christen's shoulders as they walk up to stadium. Something about the way the midfielder interacts with her makes her feel comfortable and Christen wonders if Tobin's like this with every new person she meets. 

"There's nothing to be nervous about. It's just like when you played in college." Tobin reassures her.

"Sure, expect this is a bigger platform, with bigger stakes, and a bigger audience. But no pressure right?" Christen asks rhetorically. Tobin laughs and brings her arm back to her side as they step into the room. They are a few minutes early to the meeting and Tobin uses that time to introduce Christen to some of the girls. It takes a little edge off of her. She meets Kelley, JJ, Morgan, Krieger and a few others that slip her mind as she sits down in between Tobin and a teammate who she can't seem to remember the name of.

The meeting is about an hour long and it's very informative as to what position Christen is deemed to play. Coach made it clear that he has high expectations of her. She was feeling the pressure but was determined to use it as fuel for her game. As soon as he dismissed them, they are all free to go their own ways. Tobin goes straight to the coach to talk about who knows what and since she's really the only person Christen feels comfortable around she almost feels obligated to leave. She’s on her way to her car when she hears her name being called out from behind her. She turns around quickly to watch Kelley running up to her.

"Hey! You ran out of there before we could invite you out for a burger." Kelley says tapping Christen's shoulder.

"A burger?"

"Yea, me and few of the gals are going to grab a burger at in-and-out you wanna join?" Kelley asks. Christen looks over the defender’s shoulder and notices Tobin, Ali and two more girls she’s trying her best to remember the names of, waiting by a car. She does want to go but her mind goes straight to her family. Christen wants to spend as much time with them before her schedule gets hectic. 

“Um, let me make a quick phone call and ill let you know.” Christen says pulling her phone out of her bag.

“Alright” Kelley made her way to the group of girls by her car and Christen dialed her moms number as quickly as possible not wanting to hold the girls back. After the third ring her mom answered.

“Hello?” 

“Mom! I just got out of the meeting” Christen says. “It went great”

“I’m glad sweetie. I want to know everything!” Her mom says and Christen could hear her enthusiasm building on the other line.

“Yea I’ll tell you everything when I get home but I just wanted to call and make sure it was alright if I went out to eat with a couple of the girls. I won’t be too late I promise, I’ll try and be home to tuck-“

“It’s fine. Go! Have fun. You know I don’t mind watching him” Stacey reassured her. It made Christen feel a little less guilty about going out.

“Thank you, thank you! I love you. Give him a kiss for me” Christen hung up the phone and gave Kelley a thumbs up.

~~~ 

Christen follows Kelley’s car to an in-an-out a few minutes away from the stadium. She isn’t sure who else is really joining them besides Morgan who is carpooling with Kelley. Once the three of them get there in line to order their food Christen recognizes a few faces at the door. Ali walks in and Julie trails a few steps behind her. She expects to see Tobin walking in behind them but when she doesn’t, she orders her food and forgets the thought all together. 

“So what did you think about the meeting?” Julie asks Christen as they sit down at a round table outside the restaurant. 

“It was good. I kinda have an idea of what this team is about now and what coach wants from me” Christen replies taking a sip of her drink.

“I’m glad. From what I hear you can really wreck havoc up top.” Ali cuts in the conversation.

“She was on fire at tryouts wasn’t she JJ?” Kelley motions for Julie to answer.

“She really was. You made everyone out there look like amateurs” Julie laughs. Christen tries to hide her red cheeks and just chuckles along with them.

“I’m excited for this season I think we have a good chance to finally win it all with our new additions.” Ali exclaims. Christen starts to feel more comfortable as they all start talking about the team and what their problems were in the past. At one point they start talking about how Alex’s heart wasn’t in this team anymore and that was a problem for them last season so Christen just sits and listens.

“I’m just glad she’s finally happy over in Orlando with Serv and we don’t have to deal with her complaining anymore.” Kelley says “I love the girl but I was getting tired of it” They all laugh and Ali and Morgan nod their heads in agreement. After they all finish eating and talking about a few random topics, they eventually get to the topic of Christen’s past. 

“So you did play in college right?” Julie asks.

“Yea, for the first two years I attended Florida State, then I decided to move back here with my parents and just finish my degree at the local community college. Since there isn’t a team here, I stopped.” Christen answers.

“Oh” Kelley says and pauses for a second “Why?” Ali shoots Kelley a look.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” She looks over at Christen who is taking a sip of her drink. Just as she’s about to answer Julie’s phone rings on the table and everyone jumps at how high her ringtone is.

“My gosh, turn that thing down!” Kelley exclaims and Julie just rolls her eyes.  
“It’s Zach. I have to go meet him at the airport” Julie says as she starts getting up out of her seat. Christen looks at her phone and realizes it’s already going to be nine and her eyes grow wide.

“Yea I have to go too. I promised my mom I wouldn’t be too late” She says following Julie’s lead.

“Aren’t you a little too old for a curfew?” Kelley teases.

“Leave her alone” Moe slaps Kelley’s shoulder with the back of her hand and everyone just laughs. They all get up to throw their trash away and give each other hugs goodbye after exchanging numbers. Christen walks to her car and just sits in it while letting the heater warm her up. She can’t help but smile at herself and for a split second her mind wondered why Tobin didn’t join them at the restaurant. She hoped she would’ve just because they seemed to get along so well but she figures she’ll get to know her more some other time.

 ~~~

Christen gets home at about nine and is hoping she's not too late. She walks in and her mom is laying on the couch cuddling with her dad watching tv. Her younger sister is in the dinning table eating cereal while scrolling through her phone. 

"Hey sweetie how was dinner with the girls." Christen shuts the door behind her and walks towards the couch.

"It went great. I feel more comfortable with them which is what I wanted." Christen says making her way over to her parents to give them each kiss on the forehead. "Sorry about the time, I didn't expect it to go that long."

"It's okay, you know we're always here to help out in whatever you need." Her mom replies. "Besides, you know I don't mind spending time with him." Christen gives her mom a light smile before making her way to the stairs. She walks up to the room right beside hers and kneels down next to the toddler bed trying not to make too much noise. She smiles to herself as she watches the three year old sleeping on the bed and rests her palm on his head while rubbing his forehead with her thumb. She leans in to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you and I'm going to do everything I can to make you proud of me." Christen whispers, more to herself than anything. She kisses her son, Jayden, and makes her way to her bedroom while rubbing her eyes and smiling at how good her life seems to be turning around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked the surprise. I'm still trying to figure out this story so I'm sorry for the the delay in updating.


	3. I Gotta Keep An Eye Out

It’s five am when Christen’s phone alarm goes off on top of the dresser by her bed. She opens her eyes slowly and reaches over to shut off the loud ringing before letting out a drawn out sigh. She hasn’t woken up this early in so long but is determined to make this a routine on team practice days. Get up early, go for a run, train with a performance coach or do some yoga, and then head to the team practices. Right as she’s about to sit up she hears small breathes being taken beside her.

“of course” she whispers to herself through a soft smile. She leans over and kisses Jayden on the forehead before sitting up on the edge of the bed.

Jayden is probably the only thing that has ever taken Christen by surprise in her entire life. She had always been such an organized and well planned person. So when she looked down and saw the plus sign on the pregnancy test she had bought, while pacing back and forth in the bathroom of her college dorm one Tuesday night, her entire world came crashing down right before her eyes. At least that’s what it felt like in her mind at the time. She never would’ve imagined that a drunken one night stand at a party would result into this.

It was after a breakup. It was messy and Christen wasn’t in the right headspace. Even though her ex was pleading for Christen to take them back, she didn’t give in and all Christen wanted was revenge. She figured the frat parties were the perfect place to get it. After downing a few shots she decided to pay mind to this football player that had been trying to get with her since she started school there. She knew it wouldn't mean anything but decided to dance and flirt up a storm hoping this would somehow and make her feel better and make her ex feel worse. Soon enough, one thing lead to another and there she was just a couple weeks later having to deal with the consequences.

After a week of drowning in her own thoughts she called her parents to let them in on what was happening. Of course they didn’t take it lightly and after a conversation that Christen swore lasted HOURS, they all decided that she should come home and finish off her degree at the local community college so her mom and sisters could help her out with the pregnancy. Christen could tell how disappointed her parents both were but she appreciated how supportive they were being. It took her dad a few months to cope with the news and start to confide with her like before but once he accepted the inevitable situation, Cody became a huge support system for Christen. Something she needed since Jayden's dad wasn't going to be in the picture. Once the baby came along, Christen was more than determined to finish her degree and get a job. Her mom was more than happy to watch Jayden while she was gone and her dad was there to help her out in whatever she needed whether financially or anything else. That was something she admired about her parents. Both Stacy and Cody always did whatever it took to help their three girls succeed and move forward with their lives. It’s a trait Christen has certainly picked up on and practices with her son to this day.

After brushing her teeth and changing into some running clothes, she leaves her mom some money for Jayden on the dinning table. Christen informed her mom on her new schedule and her mom didn't seem to mind considering she doesn't work. She walked out the door and headed straight to the beach which was jogging distance from her house to begin her morning.

~~~~

 After finishing up her yoga class, Christen heads straight to practice and ends up being about a half an hour early. Something she prides herself in. She heads into the facility wanting to practice some shooting and dribbling. It’s the first official practice with all the new players so she wants to make sure she’s sharp. As she walks in to the field she notices Tobin talking on the phone while dribbling the ball slowly around some cones in front of the goal. Her back is to Christen so she makes sure not to interrupt and heads to the benches to change into her cleats. She doesn’t mean to eavesdrop but she notices Tobin’s somber expression as she stares down at the grass. Christen can’t make out what is being said but she knows it must be something serious or at least important. She focuses her eyes back down to her socks not wanting to get caught staring when she hears the girl’s tone grow louder.

“Ok! It’s my fault! It always is! I have to go now!” Tobin exclaims and removes the phone from her ear. Christen is pretty surprised about what she just witnessed. She’d never expect Tobin to ever have a temper off the field. She just didn’t seem like the person to Christen but she didn’t know her personally so she tries her best to not look shocked. Just as she finishes tying her second boot she looks and and notices Tobin walking towards her with a slight red-faced expression.

“Didn’t know you were out here” Tobin says as she brings her arm up grabbing the back of her neck.

“I got here a little early so I decided to come in and take some shots. Hope you don’t mind.” Christen explains with a smile. She could see the slight embarrassment in Tobin’s face but doesn’t say anything about it unless the midfielder herself brings up the small elephant in the room, or field I should say.

“Nah, of course not.” Tobin replies and takes a seat next to Christen with her elbows on her knees playing with some grass she picked out on the way there. “So, how much of that did you hear?” she asks avoiding eye contact. Christen could tell Tobin doesn’t really want to talk about it and feels a little guilty for even being there ot listen to whatever that phonecall was so she does her best to avoid it.

  
“Nothing really. Not if you didn’t want me to.” Christen replies. She stands up and turns to Tobin who looks up at her with a surprised yet pleased face. “Let’s go practice I want to take some shots before everyone shows up. Tobin complies and they end up having their own little practice session before everyone starts to show up.

~~~~

Once practice is over Christen calls her mom to check up on Jayden. To her surprise, Stacey decided to take Jayden to Santa Monica for the day with Taylor and tells Christen they won’t be back for a few hours. After talking to him on the phone for a bit and exchanging I love you’s. Christen feels better about accepting lunch with the girls again. This time Kelley invites them all to her beach house for some hotdogs and burgers. After a quick shower in the lockers Christen quickly changes into some jean shorts, sandals, and a black tanktop. She realizes she can’t really do much about her hair and she decides to not get to worked up about it. She’s quickly learned to do that after realizing there are bigger priorities in her life.

She pulls up to Kelley’s driveway and turns her gps navigation off. Christen is pretty surprised at how close she lives to her and is wonders if she’s ever stopped by the coffee shop where she’s worked without her noticing. She walks up to the already open door and pushes it just enough to let herself in. Some of the girls are watching a game and others are out in the patio surrounding the food. She quickly spots Tobin walking down the stairs in some ripped jeans, sandals, and a white tank top drying her wet hair in between a towel. Christen suddenly feels a little comfort in knowing she’s actually here this time.

“Hey you!” Tobin smiles

“Hey.” Christen replies with a smile of her own and then looking over the girls’ shoulder up the stairs. “Do you live here too?” she asks’ while Tobin throws the towel over the stair’s handrail.

“Well, pretty much. I’m here a lot of the time” Tobin lets out a small chuckle.

“No way! I live a few minutes away” Christen says a little too enthusiastic for her own good. “That’s crazy how I’ve never ran into you, or Kelley.”

“Really? Well I gotta keep an eye out more often don’t I?” Tobin replies and Christen suddenly feels a little staggered as to what her reply should be. Luckily for her, Ali interrupts their conversation from the patio.

“Burgers and hotdogs are ready!” She shouts by the sliding door. Christen turns her attention back to Tobin.

“I’m starving let’s go eat!” Christen suggests as the girls on the couch make there way outside.

“I’ll see you out there” Tobin says, this time looking over Christen’s shoulder out to the open door. “I’m kind of waiting for someone to get here” She drags her words a bit as if to not offend the forward before staring back at her.

“Oh, ok see you out there then” Christen starts to make her way out to the patio wondering who she could possibly be waiting for considering the entire team was here. She doesn’t think about it too much once she see’s and smells the burgers in front of her. Not to mention Kelley's patio was right on the beach and the view was one Christen can only dream of owning. She quickly prepares her food with everything she could find on the table. The lack of pickles is unfortunate but she lets it go. Some of the girls head back inside to finish watching the game but Christen decides to take a seat at one of the picnic tables Kelley has out here. She slides in next to Julie and across from Ali who are already a couple bites in.

“Oh my gosh how good are these burgers!” Julie exclaims while chewing her food and rolling her head back a bit. Ali and Christen stare at her a little disturbed at the sight of ketchup rolling down Julie’s chin.

“I’m guessing really good.” Christen suggests. Ali hands Julie a napkin while chuckling.

“Clean yourself up. This is why we never take you out to eat with us.” Julie rolls her eyes at Ali’s comment and complies. Christen takes a bite out of her burger and begins to understands Julies reaction. She doesn’t know if she’s just really hungry but it’s the best burger she’s had in a while.

“Anyways, the team is looking sharp this year. I’m excited for preseason” Julie says

“Today’s practice was so much better than last year’s first practice that’s for sure.” Ali adds

“How was it different?” Christen asks curiously

“Well, let’s just say there was almost a fight by the end of it” Julie explains and Christen’s eyes widen expectantly. “Yup. Tension was high and our chemistry was just, off.”

“Not to mention the fact that everyone knew Alex didn’t really want to be here. A few of the girls were irritated and after every mistake we made, there were just fingers pointing left and right looking for someone to blame.” Ali explains. “It just wasn’t our year and we knew that from the beginning.”

“Wow. I had no idea” Christen says taking a sip of her drink to help water down the food in her throat. “Is that why almost half the team was cut and new faces came in?” she asks

“Yup. Like coach says “you gotta get rid of the bad seeds if you want the plant to grow”, or something along those lines” Julie laughs. They are all having a good time until Christen notices Ali’s humorless face looking over her shoulder. Both Julie and her turn and notice Tobin walking in with a seemingly brown complextion girl just a few inches shorter trailing behind. Christen can’t help but notice how close they seem to each other.

“I can’t believe Tobs actually brought her” Ali says with a scoff. Christen turns back around noticing she was the only one still staring at the two preparing their burgers.

“I don’t get why she can’t quite her” Julie adds and Christen hesitantly decides to speak up.

“Who is she?” She asks

“Tobin’s girlfriend.” Julie replies with a solemn tone in her voice. Christen feels a knot form in her stomach and she figures it’s from the lemonade she’s been drinking that has so much more sugar than it should.

“Why is she so bad?” Christen’s curiosity has been peaked.

“She just treats Tobin like shit. We can all see it except for Tobin of course.” Ali explains. “The amount of fights they get into is also becoming annoying.”

“Almost every time we go out she gets a phone call that ruins her night or she’s texting on her phone bickering back and forth with her. She thinks we don’t notice but we could see it in her face.” Julie says. Christen does her best to soak in this news considering how little she really knows about the midfielder to begin with. Her mind goes straight to this morning right before practice and the phone call she wasn’t meant to hear. She figures there isn’t really a reason to ask about it anymore after putting the pieces together.

"Have you guys told her how you guys feel?" Christen asks.

"Yea. Well, we always bring it up but she doesn't want to hear it. Even Kelley, who is practically Tobin's sister, has tried but Tobin swears it's not as bad as we think." Ali says. Christen just nods her head comprehendingly. Julie and Ali get back to their food and Christen turns her head back around just in time to catch Tobin and her girlfriend walking into the house with their food. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she quickly turns her attention to it. It's a picture her mom sent of Jayden and Taylor sitting in the sand with the ocean overlooking them. It manages to plant a huge smile on Christen's face and she wants to, more than anything at this point, be there with them. She sends her back a few heart emoji's and turns her attention back to a conversation Julie and Ali are having with Moe who decided to join them after not liking the way the game was going inside.

A few minutes of conversation pass and a few of the girls decide to walk down Kelley's patio onto the sand. They all take pictures with each other and some post them directly on instagram which makes Christen feel a sense of bond she wasn't feeling before. 

"Hey Christen what's your instagram?" Julie asks and she spells out her username.

"My phone just died so I'm going to have to add you when I get home though" Christen says. She doesn't like being without her phone just incase her mom needs to reach her about Jayden so she decides to call it a day. After saying goodbye to the girls at the beach she decides to go around the back to her car instead of through the house. She does't want to get caught up and waste more time than she needs to so she figures she'll see those girls next practice anyway. 

~~~~

She sits on the couch a few minutes later munching on some chips watching some game show she figures is the best thing while she waits for her mom to get home. Soon enough she hears the doorknob start to rattle and she can't help but jump up and open it herself. Her smile is slowly diminished as she see's her mom carrying a sleeping Jayden, his head laying on her shoulder. Christen was hoping for an enthusiastic welcome but she quickly settles reaching to take him from her mom's arms.

"He fell asleep on the way. I tried to keep him up but he was too tired." Stacey explains

"I figured he'd be." Christen says and she adjust's his head on her shoulder and heads back to the couch. She sits back down and lays him next to her so his head is resting on her side. 

"He was so excited to be there it was the cutest thing" Taylor says walking behind the couch heading to the kitchen a few feet away. Christen feels slightly envious of the day they had with Jayden but does her best not to show it.

"I bet. I have to take him myself one day." She says and reaches for her phone that is back on after plugging it in to charge. She notices a few notifications and remembers about the pictures. She knows that once she accepts their requests they will all know about Jayden. It's not something she's embarrassed about but she's had a few shocking reactions which don't make her feel too good. She looks down at Jayden and caresses his head with her left hand while accepting the girls request with her right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys. I know it's been forever but I've been busy. Also, i know it may seem like the story is progressing slowly but just give me some time lol Let me know what you think??


	4. You know how I get with soccer talk

Christen sits on the bench nearest to the playground keeping a close eye on Jayden. She sips on her starbucks coffee and watches him quickly make new friends as she waits for her own friend to show up. She turns to look at the parking lot and sure enough she spots Lauren walking towards her with her own little boy Elijah running in front of her. He runs straight past Christen making his way to where Jayden is not even acknowledging her and Lauren is quick to notice.

“Hey! Eli, you didn’t say hi to auntie!” Lauren shouts trying to get his attention but fails. Christen motions for her to forget about it as she stands up to give her a tight squeeze before handing Lauren the coffee she brought her.

“Wow. So you just completely disregarded my coffee shop and went with the big guns huh?” Lauren says turning the starbucks logo to the front. “You’ve changed Chris” She laughs, both taking their seats on the bench.

“It was on the way! I wasn’t going to drive an extra twenty minutes!” Christen defends herself. They laugh it off and drink their coffee’s watching their boys climbing up the slide.

“So how has the pro life been treating you?” Lauren asks. They haven’t seen each other in about three weeks which is rare for them considering they were together almost everyday at the shop. Sure they texted but it wasn’t the same as catching up in person.

“It’s been great. Amazing, actually.” Christen says, a smile forming on her face. “It’s more work than I expected but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s what I wanted before I found out about Jayden and I thought I lost it but I got a second chance at it”

“That makes me happy to hear. I know how much you wanted this. The soccer conversations at work were getting pretty annoying so I’m glad you have other people to share your thoughts with.” Lauren says hiding her sly smile while taking a sip of her coffee. Christen nudges her side and it causes Lauren to spill a bit of it on her jeans. “Hey!” She exclaims

“That’s what you get” Christen laughs. She feels a sense of peace and familiarity as she watches Lauren try and wipe the coffee stain off her pants. They use to come here every week with the kids before Christen made the team. Sometimes Christen’s family or Lauren’s family would tag along but it was always them two with Jayden and Elijah playing on the playground while they gossiped on the bench. She missed it.  
“So how is the coffee shop doing? You know, without the prominent waitress around” Christen flips her hair behind her shoulder and Lauren rolls her eyes.

“Relax miss Press. It’s doing just fine. It’s been busier actually.” Lauren says hinting that it’s only because Christen isn’t there anymore. Christen pretends to be offended.

“Whatever. I’m sure my customers miss me.” Christen says

“Speaking of your customers, Vero came in last week and asked about you.” Lauren tells her. Christen turns her attention to Lauren with a slight surprised expression on her face. She wasn’t expecting that name come up in this conversation.

“She did? What did she say?” Christen asks

“She just wanted to see you but I told her you didn’t work there anymore.” Lauren says and taking another sip of the coffee. Christen looks at her expectantly and she continues. “I did tell her about the team and stuff.” She says hesitantly.

“What? Why? I told you not to tell anyone!” Christen reacts. She had told Lauren not to mention it to any of the customers until after she played the first game. Sure, she made the team already but in her mind, anything can happen before hand like injury, or just getting cut.

“I know I know, but it’s Vero. I wanted her to know how great you’re doing” Lauren explains “I told her to keep it on the down low” Christen tries her best not to look as annoyed as she is.

Vero wasn’t just another customer; she was Christen’s ex fling from college. Even though they never made it official, Vero was the first person Christen started to fall for after Jayden was born. The only problem was that Vero had someone else that was trying to get her attention and Christen was tired of feeling like a second option so she decided to end, whatever was going on with the girl and cut ties with her. It hurt Christen but she didn’t have time to play games when it came to relationships, especially when it would also be affecting Jayden’s life. It was hard for her to forget about it completely, especially when Jayden would ask about Vero every once in a while but she managed to move past that time in her life. Well, up until Lauren brought her up just now.

“What did she say about it?” Christen asks avoiding eye contact. As much as she didn’t want to hear it, a part of her was intrigued about how the girl reacted to the news. It has been about 5 months since she’s seen or talked to Vero after their little fallout so she was inevitably curious.

“Nothing much. She looked a little surprised but then she said she was happy for you and to tell you she said hello” Lauren smiles at Christen apologetically. Christen was a little unsure about how to respond so she just nodded and focused on her coffee again. “Is this really affecting you Chris? I thought it was over between you guys” Lauren looks at Christen expectantly.

“It is. Completely. It just- I haven’t even heard her name in months so it just took me by surprise.” Christen forces a smile towards Lauren “It’s fine though, I just don’t really want to talk about her”

“Noted.” Lauren says changing the subject “So how are the girls on the team? Have you replaced me yet?” Christen brushes off the last conversation and focuses on the new one being brought up.

“I could never replace the auntie Lolo” Christen chuckles “The girls are great. So far the ones I actually got to spend time with are Julie, Ali, Morgan, Kelley, and Tobin.”

“Morgan? Like that Alex Morgan girl? I thought you told me she left the team” Lauren says

“No, no. Morgan Brian. She got drafted from college. Alex did leave, that’s sort of the reason I made the team.” Christen explains “The coach was looking for a new striker and said I came at the perfect time.”

“Ah I see. So you’re pretty much going to be the new face of the team huh?” Lauren asks and Christen just shakes her head laughing.

“Nooo. I just made the team, give me a minute to see how the season goes before you start predicting things.” Christen says. “Besides, Tobin is the one filling those shoes.”

“Oh yea I’ve heard of her. She’s the lanky one on the billboard by the stadium right?” Lauren asks

“Yup” Christen answers chuckling a bit to herself thinking about how much Tobin hates that billboard. “That one”

“What’s so funny? Is she snotty? A bitch? I wouldn’t be surprised with the look on her face in that picture. I mean would it kill the girl to smile a bit” Lauren says and Christen’s small chuckle turns into a full blown laugh.

“What? No! She is the opposite of all that. She’s actually really… what’s the word for it..” Christen tries to think of the best way to describe Tobin and only one word comes to mind “Chill” She smiles at the thought. “She’s actually the first teammate that I talked to and we hit it off pretty well. She introduced me to some of the other girls and we trained a little before my first practice which was really helpful. She’s pretty amazing on the ball, it’s one thing to see it on tv or in the stands but up close it’s another ball game” Christen looks over at Lauren who seems to be observing her intently. “What?” She let’s out.

“Nothing. You just kinda, got lost in your thoughts there for a minute” Lauren says. Christen feels her cheeks start to heat up and she quickly brings the cup of coffee up to her lips to try and hide her red cheeks. She didn’t really mean to brag about her teammate like that but she couldn’t help it. It’s like all her thoughts were coming out like word vomit, which is a problem she’s been trying to fix.

“Yea, well you know how I get with soccer talk.” Christen does her best to shift the conversation “and by the way you do realize they have to look intimidating in the picture right?” Christen asks and Lauren follows the topic.

“Well that’s not very inviting” She says.

“You are such an amateur when it comes to sports. Which is funny because your husband and now best friend are professional athletes” Christen laughs.

“Hey! I have other important things to be worried about in my life.” Lauren defends herself. They both get interrupted by the boys who go over for a water break. Christen kisses Jayden’s forehead and is glad she made time to come out here today. It’s exactly what she needed.

~ 

As Christen pulled up to the stadium for practice she felt a small sense of relief mixed with the expectancy of her teammates reactions about Jayden. She’s never hidden him from anyone because she’s never felt the need to but somehow stating she had a son didn’t seem like something relevant to acknowledge in all the times she’s hung out with the girls so she put it off. Besides, she doesn’t see it as a big deal. Christen could swear she’s seen one of her now teammates with a kid after some games she’d go watch.

As usual, she is a few minutes early. Christen would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she was hoping to see Tobin there to get a few minutes of practice with her like last time. In her mind, the more chemistry they build on the field the more success they’ll get. She saw how well Alex and Tobin worked together and something in her is looking for the same kind of outcome for them. To her delight, she does spot the tan midfielder running to the side of the field to fetch a ball that got away from her. But she also spots Kelley waiting on Tobin to kick the ball back a few feet away. Christen suddenly feels a little intrusive as she walks towards the bench. Like maybe she should reconsider showing up early to practices if it’s Tobin and Kelley’s thing but there was no turning back now as one of the girls approaches her on the bench.

“Hey!” Kelley says with a huge smile on her face taking a seat next to Christen reaching for her water in her bag. “You’re a bit early”

“Yea, I’m a big fan of being early to things” Christen replies looking up from untying her shoes to give Kelley a smile. “I hope it’s not a problem” She says as more of a question than a statement.

“Not at all. Tobin and I could use another person to practice with. And besides you can fill in for me when I don’t show up early.” Kelley chuckles. “I like to get a few extra minutes of sleep sometimes and stand Tobin up so you could keep her company.”

Speaking of Tobin, Christen looks around the field and catches Tobin walking towards the tunnel looking down at her phone.

“She had to use the restroom” Kelley says and pauses before continuing with a bit of spite in her next words. “but I’m sure she’s just attending to her girlfriend.” Christen doesn’t really know how to respond to what Kelley said, especially with the tone she said it with so she just nods her head and looks finishes tying her cleats. “Hey by the way, cute kid” Kelley says which forces a smile on Christen’s face.

“Thank you, his name is Jayden. Jayden Cody Press.” Christen says proudly looking up at Kelley who is leaned back with her arms stretched out on each side of the bench. She notices the freckled girl’s eyebrows burrow a little and Christen is sure of the next question that’s about to come out of her mouth.

“Press?” Kelley asks. “So I take it you’re not married.” It’s certainly more forward than Christen expected but she’s picked up on Kelley’s personality a little so she can’t say she’s too shocked about it.

“Nope.” Christen answers. She doesn’t say it with the same sense of proudness but she does have a little pride in being a single parent. In her mind it’s a whole lot better than being with the other half of Jayden. Besides, Christen is proud of how far she’s gotten with her son alone. “Never been.” She says.

“Well I’m sure the right guy will come along sooner or later” Kelley says reassuringly patting her back a couple times and standing up before Christen could respond or correct her. She follows Kelley to the field and they start to pass the ball back and forth before a few other girls begin to show up.

Practice goes smoothly and they finish up just before it hits noon. All the girls gather in the middle of the field waiting for the coach to join them. He walks up with a few piece of paper in hand.

“Ok listen up. I have the official pre-season schedule. We are playing Berkley first, then Stanford, and lastly, we managed to set up a match with Orlando.” He says. Christen a few players shoot each other some grins and eyebrow arches and she can only assume that the game is going to be a thriller. After all, Christen knows Orlando has grown to be LA’s rival for whatever reason and now that they took their striker, there’s more of a reason to anticipate this game. She feels a tingle in her stomach similar to the ones she use to feel in college and nostalgia starts to settle in. It quickly goes away after her eyes meet a midfielders brown ones from across the circle. Tobin grins at her and Christen reciprocates with one of her own. Coach quickly ends the little meeting and they all head their separate ways. Christen walks side by side with Ali and Morgan and they start catching up on their week and It isn’t long until Jayden is brought up. Into the conversation.

“He’s so adorable” Ali says after admitting that she didn’t expect to learn about Jayden when she requested her. Christen tucks the few strands of hair on her check behind her ear and smiles. It’s more of smile at the thought of Jayden than anything else.

“He really is.” Morgan adds. “How old is he?”

“three! He turns four in August” Christen answers enthusiastically.

“Oh nice, we better be invited to the party” Morgan says playfully.

“Of course” She nods at both of the girls before excusing herself to find the restroom. She eventually finds one and walks in on Tobin splashing some water on her face in front of the sink. Christen notices how she doesn’t seem to open her eyes even after the water has left her face and she debates whether or not to interrupt the moment she’s having to herself, clearly bothered by something. It becomes to late to walk out now when Tobin opens her eyes and spots Christen’s reflection from the mirror. Her eyes give away a startled expression but she soon composes herself grabbing some paper towels to wipe her face dry.

“Hey” Tobin says. Christen walks over to the sink next to hers and sets her bag down opening the faucet to wash her hands.

“Hey.” She says tentatively. “sorry to interrupt your…. moment. I just needed to wash up a little”

“Nah it’s fine I’m just trying to keep myself up for the drive home” Tobin says and Christen could see the smile Tobin is pushing to form on her face even though it clearly doesn’t want to be there. “I had a long night” Tobin adds. It stays quiet for a minute the thought of Tobin's girlfriend pops up in Christen's mind. She is probably the reason for this but Christen doesn't want to make assumptions. After hearing a long sigh coming from the the midfielder, her instinct kicks in.

“Are you doing okay? You seem bothered by something.” Christen asks trying to make it seem as nonchalant as possible by avoiding eye contact and reaching down to splash some water on her face.

“Yea, I’m doing okay.” is all Tobin says before reaching down to grab her bag from the ground. “but thanks for asking” She adds another forced smile and Christen is quick to notice. Right as she starts making her way to the door Christen feels a certain need to make sure Tobin doesn’t leave without knowing something. She quickly turns around and places a hand on the midfielder’s arm. It forces Tobin to stop walking and Christen immediately wonders if she made a mistake by the nerves forming all over her body.

“Listen, I know we’ve only known each other for a few weeks.” she starts and Tobin looks up to meet her eyes. “but if you ever need to talk, I’m here.” The mood in the room seems to change when Christen notices Tobin seem at a loss for words not knowing if she should speak or not. She tries to figure out a way to lighten it back up. “After all, we are teammates now so that kinda makes us friends in a way, right?” Christen looks down at Tobin’s smile forming on her face and feels a sense of satisfaction by it seeming genuine this time.

“Right!” Tobin says. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind” Tobin says before making her way out the door and leaving Christen with a feeling of complacency while washing her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I just update when I can hope you all understand and want to keep reading (?)
> 
> (i also didn't really proofread this so sorry if there are any mistakes)


	5. I'd say it's perfect

The first game against Berkley came quicker than Christen expected. It isn't necessarily a nerve-wracking game but everyone including Christen are excited to finally play against another team instead of scrimmages against each other for a change. They are in the middle of warm ups when Christen looks up to where her Mom, Sister and Jayden are meant to be seated. Since it isn't an official league game the stadium only sold a limited number of tickets which are the field seats and one of the perks of playing on the team are the free tickets she gets. She spots her wavy haired little boy sitting on Stacey's lap waving at her and she blows him a kiss. Kelley walks up behind Christen and looks up at the direction the kiss was blown.

"Aw is that him? I can't wait to meet him after the game!" Kelley says placing her hand on Christen's shoulder.

"Yup! That's my Jayden" Christen says with an enthusiastic smile. She waves one last time to her family and they are both off to the locker room with the rest of the team.

The entire game for the most part was a breeze for them, just as the coach said it would be considering these are college students. Christen netted two goals, Morgan got one, and Tobin the fourth. After the game they shake hands with the other team and take a group photo. Just as Christen is about to make her way to the sidelines she gets approached by a young girl she recognizes from the game.

"Hey! I'm Kayla i'm a forward for berkley and I was just wondering if I can get an autograph and picture?" Christen is taken a back by the question. The girl hands Christen her phone case and a black sharpie and Christen takes them by nature. She realizes the surprised look she has on her face and quickly exchanges it with an ear to ear smile. She signs the girls phone case and takes a quick picture. "Thank you so much! Good luck this season I'll be rooting for you!" The girl lets out as she walks away. Christen thanks her and still tries to take in what exactly just happened. Her thoughts are soon interrupted by a familiar voice catching up to her.

"It's strange isn't it?" Tobin asks slowing her jog down to a walk when she's shoulder to shoulder to Christen.

"A little" Christen laughs looking over at Tobin. "How do you get use to that?"

"You don't." Tobin answers. "At least I haven't, but it comes with the territory so we gotta try." She smiles. Christen nods in agreement and continues to walk towards her family. Tobin is still walking by her side and she wonders if some of her family flew out to visit her from New Jersey. Once she spots Shirley staring down at her phone a few seats away from where Jayden is, she let's those thoughts go.

"Mommy!" Jayden yells out as Christen is a few feet away. He jumps off his grandma's lap wanting to climb over the barrier and Tyler lifts him over the other side. Christen squats down with her arms open ready to catch him as he starts to run towards her.

"wait, Mommy?" Tobin says in a confused tone and Christen ignores the question to lift and spin Jayden around a few times. She places a few kisses all over his face and he does the same to her.

"Did you see mommy kick the ball?" Christen says in a high pitched voice than usual. Jayden nods and Christen finally turns her attention to Tobin's bewildered expression. She's surprised none of their teammates mentioned it to Tobin but looks past it in order to introduce them.

"Jayden say hi to Tobin." Jayden waves his arm leaning his head towards Christen's shoulder. She rolls her eyes at how shy he's acting and turns to Tobin who waves back trying not to look like this is shocking news. "Tobin, this is Jayden." Tobin raises her eyebrows and looks up to meet Christen's eyes for a split second before looking back at Jayden. Christen isn't sure what to make of Tobin's reaction. She's used to people being this surprised but it's usually guys or girls that try to date her. Besides, Tobin seems like the last person that would care in Christen's mind and the midfielder notices Christen studying her reaction by the way she speaks up.

"Oh, sorry I didn't realize- know you had a baby." Tobin struggles a bit to say.

"It's okay, I didn't expect you too" Christen says and before anything else can be said to break the eerie tension, Kelley, Morgan, Ali and a few other girls walk up to them to greet Jayden. Christen and Tobin share one last look before she turns her body so Jayden can can face them all. Christen sets him down and some of the girls squat down to give him hi fives and try to get him to kick a ball back and forth.

"He's so adorable Press!" Ali says holding her hand up to her chest. Christen feels a sense of pride watching everyone surround Jayden. Almost like she has the new shiny toy in a kindergarten class and all the kids what to see it. She laughs at the way Kelley is pretending to slip on the ball after Jayden kicks it to her and turns to see if Tobin is sharing her amusement. Her smile fades a little when she doesn't see her standing where she was. She looks back to the stands and manages to catch Tobin share a quick kiss with Shirley, each of them on the either side of the barrier. She turns her attention quickly back to where Jayden is. She gets an overwhelming feeling like she shouldn't have seen that. Like it wasn't meant for her to see and she just intervened on a part of Tobin's life she shouldn't have. She feels uneasy about it but seeing Jayden accept Morgan's invitation to hold him makes up for that uncomfortable feeling.

~

The next game comes and goes quicker than she expected. Christen isn't use to the tight schedules and she'd be lying if she said it didn't overwhelm her a bit. But luckily coach reassured her that this is only for the preseason games. The Stanford game was another breeze with Christen scoring another two goals. The game against Orlando Pride was the one she was anticipating. The stadium released more tickets for that one so she was going to experience a bigger crowd for their new rivals. 

The team is lined up under the tunnel about to head out. Christen is the last in line with the number 23 and she looks up the line to notice Tobin up top with the captain's armband seemingly laughing with the Orlando's captain, Alex. She knows how good of friends she is with some of the girls considering how she gets brought up around training and lunches. Christen concludes Tobin to be the closest to her though so she gets a kick out of watching them tease each other before having to walk out. 

The game starts off well for them but quickly takes a difficult turn. The end result is a 2-2 draw which no one on the team is excited about. The locker room after has a lot of frustrated expressions and disappointment. Christen feels like the loss is on her. She hit the post twice and all she is thinking about is how she needed to put those chances away. Those would have determined the game. Coach walks in the locker room while everyone is sitting in front of their lockers gathering their things.

"Well, that was as not the score that I wanted." He says with a serious tone. It softens as he continues. "Luckily for us, it was a preseason game. I liked a few things that I saw and want to work on other things. We have two weeks to fine tune what we need to. See you guys next practice." He finishes and everyone goes about their business. Christen starts walking towards one of the showers when she hears Ali's voice call her name. 

"Christen you wanna go out with us tonight? We're meeting up with a few friends from the other team for some drinks and a bite to eat." She asks. It takes her a bit by surprise that she's getting invited to hang out with them. She doesn't know the girls from the other team and to her it seems like a a little reunion so she is hesitant to take the offer but Ali gets help from Kelley and they eventually convince Christen to go. 

After showering, changing into some black skinny jeans with a beige loose top and some black boots she heads to the restaurant they are all meeting at. Before getting out of her parked car she shoots her mom a text to kiss Jayden goodnight for her. As soon as she unbuckles her seatbelt, her door is swung open from the outside. It startles Christen but she laughs it off to herself as Kelley greets her.

"Come on slow poke they're waiting for us." Kelley says. Christen jumps out of her car and they walk into the restaurant. Kelley finds the table with the girls and Christen follows shortly behind feeling a little uneasy about her unfamiliarity to this. It's the first time she's out getting drinks with the team and it's with the opposing team whom she doesn't know. She puts her best pokerface to hide her tense nerves and smiles as she gets closer to the table.

"Finally!" Someone yells as they approach a table that probably fits about ten girls on each side at Christen's first guess. 

"I was waiting for this one to show up outside! Blame her!" Kelley retaliates nodding back at Christen and she just lifts both her hands up in surrender.

"Sorry I was having hair issues" Christen says taking a seat in one of the two empty seats that Kelley didn't occupy. She finds herself in between Kelley and Ali, who seems to be having a conversation with a tattooed blonde sitting at the head of the table. She quickly recognizes her as Orlando's keeper and remembers a little teasing towards Ali during yesterdays practice from Morgan and so she figures there is something going on with them. Across the table from Christen is Tobin with Alex sitting across from Kelley. There's an extra seat next to Tobin at the end of the table with what seems to be her jacket hanging on it and she'd be lying if she didn't think of taking it but she feels fine where she's at. She spots Morgan and JJ a few seats down the table with a few girls from the other team and smiles. The loud music and chatter almost overpowers the raspy voice she hears as she looks to meet where it's coming from.

"Hey nice to meet you I'm Alex!" Alex says reaching out a hand towards Christen. She doesn't hesitate to take it.

"Hi. Yea I'm a fan of your goals- skills." She stumbles to say before wanting to swallow the words back into her mouth. "I'm Christen." Alex lets out a soft laugh along with Kelley and Tobin and Christen feels like she wants to just stand up and run away but luckily the blue eyed forward speaks up before she decides to do so. 

"Thanks. I could say the same to you. You were killing it out there and these two tell me good things about you" Alex says waging her finger between Tobin and Kelley.

"Told you she was good" Kelley says taking a sip of Alex's drink before Alex scolds her for it and they start to bicker. She turns her attention to Tobin and finds her looking back at her almost examining Christen.

"What's up?" Christen asks hesistantly.

"Nothing it's just, your hair." Tobin says leaning forward a bit more when a loud roar of laughter comes from a table next to them. "I like it. I didn't know it was naturally  curly." She smiles. It makes Christen blush a little. She grabs her hair and tosses it all to one side.

"Thanks. I don't wear like this often but I have no choice after games." Christen laughs. "I find it too big to wear around"

"Nah, not at all. I'd say it's perfect" Tobin responds. "You're natural hair has to breathe too you know" Christen laughs at the comment and Tobin seems pleased with it while taking a sip of her soda which makes her cringe.

"What's wrong with it?" Christen asks amused at the face Tobin just pulled.

"I'm not a big fan of soda but they don't have milkshakes here so I had to settle." Tobin explains slightly sheepish. Christen nods her head understandingly and is merely surprised Tobin didn't order an alcoholic drink like everyone else. Then again she didn't either so she doesn't comment on it.

Soon after, they order food and start chatting. It's only the four of them for a while but soon enough Ali and Ashlyn, who Ali introduces to Christen, join in. Soon enough they start throwing jokes here and there and Christen even joins in on a couple of them. It's mostly just them picking on Kelley but Christen can tell this is routine almost and Kelley knows how to bite back with her own jokes. They all pause for a bit when Tobin abruptly gets up from the table and walks outside with her cellphone to her ear. Christen turns her attention to Alex who arches her eyebrows at Kelley and let's out a sigh. She's not sure how to take it really. She noticed Tobin push her phone to the side a few times during their conversations and whisper some things at Alex but didn't think anything of it really. The way she stormed off just now made it seem like it was bigger than she initially thought. Alex seemed hesitant to talk at first and she stared at Kelley and side eyed Christen a bit.

"We filled her in" Kelley says. "It's not the first time Christen's seen her angry on the phone" she tells her. "What's it this time?"

"The usual" Alex says shaking her head. "the girl is making her life miserable and Tobs puts up with it"

Christen can tell by the way the girls go on about Shirley that they aren't fond of her. They don't get into specifics but just hearing them makes Christen feel bad for Tobin. She doesn't deserve whatever her girlfriend is doing to her. 

"If she doesn't listen to us, then let her learn on her own" Ali has the final word before they all move on from the conversation. Christen takes one more fry before announcing to Kelley that she has to head home. Kelley tries to convince her to stay a little longer but she's tired and just wants to cuddle with Jayden so she says her goodbyes and makes her way towards the door. As she's walking to her car looking for her keys in her bag she looks up and sees Tobin walking towards her and her best bet is she's going back inside the restaurant. Christen gets to her car and waits for Tobin walk up.

"Leaving already? You just got here" Tobin jokes, her voice a little rougher than usual. Christen smiles at her but before answering she notices something she didn't expect to at least not at this moment. Tobin's eyes seem to be glossy. Not from the moon reflecting on them or anything but more so from tears she's been trying to hold back.

"Yea I'm a little tired and just gonna to head home" Christen replies not acknowledging anything she wants to. 

"Ah I see, well then I guess I'll see you at practice" Tobin says 

"Yea I'll see you then" Christen says as Tobin smiles softly and starts to walk back to the restaurant. Christen gets in the car and can't help but notice the way Tobin moves slowly. Almost like she doesn't want to go back in there. Dragging her feet. Christen wants to do something to somehow help her out. She doesn't even know much about this girl but she knows that she doesn't like seeing her upset already. Not considering how well her and Christen seem to get along. She thinks quickly to herself and comes up with, what she hopes, is a good idea. Before Christen lets her get to far she rolls down her window and yells out Tobin's name. The midfielder stops walking and quickly turns around with a confused face. "Do you feel like a milkshake from in-n-out as much I do right now?" She yells out. Tobin stands still for a a few seconds and it makes Christen second guess her invitation. Once she see's Tobin's grin start to form she knows she didn't make a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a break. Now I'm back. Hope some of you are still interested?! (:


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